jheath Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 I have been a big fan of Gibson acoustic guitars for as long as I've been playing - currently have two vintage Gibsons and have had lots of modern versions as well (Hummingbird, J35, J45TV, WM45, etc). I gravitate more to vintage guitars these days and stay on the hunt always for "The One" which will likely be an original Banner J-45. I had a quick browse on reverb today and came upon this poor old solider and just felt the need to share what seems like a tragedy to me - poor, poor old banner - https://reverb.com/ca/item/79636521-1943-gibson-j-45-banner-logo-with-spruce-top-maple-neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 It may be a tragedy in most people's eyes but I look at it this way: it survived. It can live on, warts and all. If it had a good neck set and sounds as good as they claim, I think I'd leave it as is. New tuners maybe. Would I pay $8000? No. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Personally, the bigger tragedy to me is that nowadays someone could ask the equivalent of $8300 US for guitars in this condition. As is often said around here, at one time these were just old guitars and many people thought nothing of “modifying” guitars to their liking. Probably sounds pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jheath Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 Don't get me wrong - I'm glad its survived and it likely does sound good. But the terrible bridge (with metal screws in it!), the horrible job sanding it down, the mismatched tuner buttons, and yes, the fact that someone is still trying to get $8k USD for that is troubling. Some of these things could be corrected by a capable repair person and you could have a good looking, good functioning, refinished Banner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 8 minutes ago, 62burst said: Personally, the bigger tragedy to me is that nowadays someone could ask the equivalent of $8300 US for guitars in this condition. Tragedy is not the right word - Greed is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSchooner Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Hey, some folks pay big money to have their new guitars look like that 😀. Perfect guitar for the urban roots singer/songwriter who wants the image of having lugged it around the country while living on hobo stew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 It is later than 43 -- at least 44. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 3 hours ago, PrairieSchooner said: Hey, some folks pay big money to have their new guitars look like that 😀. Perfect guitar for the urban roots singer/songwriter who wants the image of having lugged it around the country while living on hobo stew. Not sure anyone pays to have their new guitars look like that. Yeah, some may go for a level of “relic’ing,” but I’ve ever seen faux aging to that extent. If you have, maybe provide photos? That said, it seems the guitar came by its aging naturally. So if some “urban roots singer/songwriter” and “hobo stew” connoisseur buys it, will he/she not have a guitar that came by its wear naturally? And I’m still trying to figure out why people care what another player’s guitar looks like or how they spend their guitar money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 4 hours ago, ksdaddy said: It may be a tragedy in most people's eyes but I look at it this way: it survived. It can live on, warts and all. If it had a good neck set and sounds as good as they claim, I think I'd leave it as is. New tuners maybe. Would I pay $8000? No. I'm in this camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I just LOVE a tragedy! A trip to my luthier and some love and attention and will bea beast! Sound will be sensational! Here is my tragedy from years ago - 1937 Gibson L-0 with love from my luthier - neck reset, new ebony fretboard, ebony bridge, bone nut, bone saddle, tuners ---etc, etc Sensational! Might paint it black yet, like originally, might not.... BluesKing777. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 9 hours ago, jheath said: poor, poor old banner - Well, well, it's alive, , , and will still be able to tell tales. . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Here is my sad old banner -- now gone. It actually is a 1943. When I bought it waiting in line to camp at Galax, it has already been refinished. Here is what it looked like. $1000. Here is what it looked like. Then disaster -- a pipe broke in my house while we were away and poured water on it for several days. When we got home, it was a pile of wrinkled wood with all sign of finished washed away. All separate pieces. The insurance paid full insured valued at the time -- $1500 in 2006. So eventually I took the pieces to Randy Wood and said I had $1500 to make it into a guitar again. Here is what came back. All the pieces -- interior and exterior -- are original, so it sounded great! The guitar went to live in Nova Scotia -- our family retirement home -- and eventually I agreed to trade it to a local friend who wanted it badly -- for an original 1954 SJ. End of story. Best, -Tom 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Heckuva story, Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) When I first stumbled on my 1942 J50, it had a separated back seam, two open cracks on either side, of it, a split and loose brace, and had lost its original bridge and pickguard. I felt like if I bumped the guitar with my knee the whole thing would fall part. Even though the shop owner who knew me well let me take it home for a bit before making a decision, I knew from the moment I got it into my hands that this was "The One". So, I handed over $3200 and it was off to the races. After a full year and outlay of another $900 the guitar was back in my hands and fit as a fiddle and looking good. And I knew I had chosen wisely when the second-generation luthier who fixed it up handed it back with the words his father used to call guitars which sounded like this one "once in a blue moon Gibsons." Edited February 29 by zombywoof 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) I like it..... if it played good, I'd keep it as it is ('fix' the cracks is all)....it's had a tough life.... home repairs by a working musician who couldn't afford the luxury of a luthier. $8K? No feckin' way! Edited February 29 by DanvillRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSchooner Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 20 hours ago, dhanners623 said: Not sure anyone pays to have their new guitars look like that. Yeah, some may go for a level of “relic’ing,” but I’ve ever seen faux aging to that extent. If you have, maybe provide photos? That said, it seems the guitar came by its aging naturally. So if some “urban roots singer/songwriter” and “hobo stew” connoisseur buys it, will he/she not have a guitar that came by its wear naturally? And I’m still trying to figure out why people care what another player’s guitar looks like or how they spend their guitar money. Just a joke, friend. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 2 hours ago, PrairieSchooner said: Just a joke, friend. Humor is often relative. Given the derision habitues of the forum have heaped upon relic’d guitars — and the people who buy them— one can never tell when a jape is afoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 3 hours ago, dhanners623 said: Humor is often relative. Given the derision habitues of the forum have heaped upon relic’d guitars — and the people who buy them— one can never tell when a jape is afoot. If I only had a nickel just a nickel for every time, Tom Murphy smacks a guitar with a railroad spike I’d be a billionaire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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